Slur On Dwarfs

June 28, 1988|By David L. McMullen.

CHICAGO — I found myself deeply offended by Aljean Harmetz`s use of the word human in contrast to the word dwarf. The June 16 article concerned the movie

``Willow`` and included a sentence that began, ``The tale of a dwarf who finds and must protect a human baby . . . `` As the average-size parent of a dwarf child, I can assure you that dwarfs are just as human as any average-size individual.

As a point of information, dwarfism is the oldest known birth defect. Today, medical science has identified more than 100 different types of dwarfism, each with its own particular set of problems. However, two unacceptable problems facing Little People are unjustified limitations forced upon them and insensitivity of those who should know better.